During the 2022 Sri Lankan economic crisis, people endured long waits to refill liquefied petroleum gas cylinders. Image by AntanO via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

This article by Nimaya Dahanayake originally appeared on Groundviews, an award-winning citizen journalism website in Sri Lanka. An edited version is published below as part of a content-sharing agreement with Global Voices.

Seetha is an elderly woman who takes care of her three grandchildren, all below the age of 15. She lives in a section of her late daughter’s house, where the electricity has been disconnected for the past three months because of non-payment of arrears. She earns a living by selling manioc chips and earns about LKR 700 to 800 (USD 2.4 to 2.7) a day, out of which LKR 500 (USD 1.7) is spent on food.

As there is no electricity in her house, she uses candles, purchasing three to four candles at LKR 30 (USD 0.10) per candle every day. On at least three days a week, Seetha is only able to afford one meal. Her grandchildren go to school when they can, often staying back if they are unable to afford the transport and food costs. Despite her financial situation, the only kind of government support she receives is a senior citizen allowance, amounting to a mere LKR 1,000 (USD 3.4) a month. She receives no other financial support from the government.

The eradication of poverty was a key aspect of the presidential campaigns of lead candidates in the run-up to the September presidential election this year. Promises to “make poverty a part of history” and to provide a “universal social protection system” intended to convey a certain sensitivity of the presidential candidates to the plight of many Sri Lankans, 25.9 percent of whom are estimated to live below the poverty line as of 2023, following the worst economic crisis since independence.

In August 2024, the official poverty line, which is the minimum expenditure per person per month to fulfil his/her basic needs at the national level, was LKR 16,152 (USD 54.9, exchange rate 1 USD = LKR 294.27), compared to LKR 6,966 (USD 38.35) in 2019 (Exchange rate 1 USD = LKR 181.63). A study published by LIRNEasia in 2023 found that four million Sri Lankans have fallen into poverty since 2019. The Sri Lanka Development Update for October 2024 by the World Bank highlights that despite economic expansion, poverty and vulnerability levels are elevated, food insecurity is widespread, and health outcomes have deteriorated. While a semblance of stability has been achieved through key reforms, official statistics belie the reality of many households.

The economic crisis and immediate short-term policy responses to the crisis, including tax hikes, expenditure cuts and cost-reflective energy and utility prices, have aggravated poverty. The crisis has also perhaps challenged certain stereotypes associated with poverty with the emergence of a “hidden poor” or “middle-class poor.” This goes to show that “the depth of Sri Lanka’s poverty is bigger than what the official statistics claim.”

At the peak of the economic crisis in 2022, with high levels of food inflation, livelihood losses and declining household incomes, many households were struggling to afford nutritious meals. Research by Colombo Urban Lab among low-income communities in Colombo found that the compounded effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis have resulted in a reduction in the quantity and quality of the food plate over time. Families are cutting back on their consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables amid competing expenses.

In 2021, windmills were launched in Mannar in Sri Lanka's Northern Province. Image by Malitha Daminda via Wikimedia Commons. (CC BY-SA 4.0).

A recent report by a parliamentary select committee appointed to look into whether the child malnutrition issue is worsening revealed that in the last six months of 2022, 74 percent of households investigated could not afford food or daily essentials. Ninety-eight of the population was affected by high food prices following the economic crisis. As a result, only 53 per cent of the population was able to afford a nutritious diet. The report considers food security at the household level as a determinant or contributory factor for malnutrition. The World Food Programme (WFP) notes that nearly one-third of children under the age of five are malnourished.

The Household Food Security Overview for 2023 by the WFP noted that nationally, 24 percent of households were estimated to be moderately food insecure during August and September of 2023. The report compares the levels of food insecurity in March (17 percent of households) and August (24 percent of households) of last year and attributes the rise in food insecurity to a reduction in food consumption by vulnerable groups such as daily wage earners and those who rely on social assistance. The report also highlights that households spend more than 62 percent of total expenditure on food. This means that the amount of money left for other essential goods and services such as health, education and utilities inevitably decreases, depriving households of a good quality of life.

Given that expenses are competing in an unprecedented way, households are adopting several coping strategies, such as pawning jewellery, disconnecting from the grid, and, at times, selling nutritional supplements provided by the government to manage expenses. In some cases, households have also run out of coping strategies.

They have also started to rely on negative food-related coping strategies, including, for instance, reducing the number of meals consumed and the diversity of the food plate. Despite this, parents or adults in the household typically prioritise the health of their children at the expense of their own wellbeing and try to provide nutritious food that may not be affordable for the rest of the family.

A summary report by the Family Health Bureau of the Ministry of Health (MoH) in 2024 reported that more than 10,000 children under the age of five suffer from severe acute malnutrition. Many of these children do not have an adequate diet due to the insufficient quantity of food consumed for their main meal.

Research by Colombo Urban Lab, with low-income communities, has revealed that most school-going children do not receive a midday meal from school. Regulations on the types of food allowed — buns and biscuits are discouraged — mean families are required to send rice and curry or pulses, which are arguably more expensive, resulting in absenteeism of these children as they fear being singled out at school.

Thriposha product and program. Image by Irwin Hornstein, USAID, via Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.

Maternal malnutrition is also a significant concern, especially in the aftermath of the economic crisis. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that maternal nutrition is critical for foetal growth and that poor nutrition often leads to long-term, irreversible and detrimental consequences to the foetus. At the height of the economic crisis, in 2022, the government was unable to support the Thriposha programme.  This is a nutritional supplement provided to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers until the infant has completed six months. According to a study by the WFP, Thriposha brings down the cost of a diet by 20 percent as it is provided free and fulfils the micro-nutrient and protein needs of pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Understanding the nuanced and dynamic nature of poverty faced by Sri Lankans, as well as its varying impacts, is a necessary first step in developing policies and improving social safety nets that will help improve the overall wellbeing of the millions of Sri Lankans living in poverty today.